I'd love to be a fly on the wall, just observing, when people like Rep. Bachmann watch a recording of themselves after a performance such as this. They'd have to just CRINGE with embarrassment, at least in private.

They would HAVE to. Wouldn't they?

*sigh*

What complete and utter douchebags she and her kind are.

Matthews seems to have done a pretty good job of keeping after her. It would have been nice to have him sum it up by getting down to bedrock on the issie..."In fact, don't you consider anyone who isn't a Republican to be anti-American?"

She sits there with that weird fake smile plastered on her face & her eyes do this bizarre narrowing & expanding thing that is just inhuman. Why on earth she's on TV is incomprehensible. I've written to the moron's who run her website b/c she did the same schtick on Larry King. GET HER OFF TV!

...a list of...

That just has not aged well. You'd think they'd drop it after a while. Old habits die hard, if ever.

Please, can't Matthews, et al, challenge these dimwits who screaaaammm AYERS! with a hearty "What about Todd Palin's association with the AIP?" Please.

he spent thirteen minutes with that person and did not once ask her what she meant by "leftist".

of course, she probably wouldn't have answered any of these questions, but to have asked them would have better exposed the idiocy and uselessness of the terms "leftist" and "anti-american".

He could have asked, for example:

isn't it "leftist" to nationalize banking, as we have just done?

isn't it "leftist" to commit to buying $300,000,000,000 of Americans' home loans, as John McCain has committed to doing?

Is one automatically leftist if one proposes one or two leftist solutions out of an entire policy package?

What percentage of a Senator's votes have to be left-leaning for her to consider them "leftist"?

Are terrorists, who are anti-American, also "leftist" or are there many varieties of anti American, and the leftist kind is just the worst?

Is it "anti-american" to criticize america? Or is "anti-America" just sort of a "je ne sais quois"? Is she anti-American for criticizing a major party candidate and her fellow senators, or exactly what does one have to criticize about America to be considered anti-American? Or do you just have to not like America? What if I like parts of America, like the beaches, but not other parts, like the deserts? is that ok, or am I anti-America?

Is the first amendment then "anti-america"? or just people who actually dare to take advantage of their first amendment rights?

Is it possible to be "rightist" and be "anti-american"?

Of course, she wouldn't have answered these questions, as I said earlier. But it would have exposed to those who have an inkling that this is a stupid line of reasoning that this is a straw man that even republicans themselves cannot explain, and do not believe in.

I find this argument so repugnant as to be almost unworthy of comment...almost. We've been here before, haven't we. Joe McCarthy made his name using this approach to vilify whole segments of society.

Why doesn't Mr. Matthews use the opening to ask the congresswoman how she feels about Governor Palin's associations with members of the anti-American Alaskan Independence Party? It boggles my mind that her husband's prolonged and seditious associations are overlooked while this nonsense is repeated over and over without meaningful challenge.

This woman should be voted out of office ASAP.

The scariest part of that interview, aside from the complete stupidity of her arguments, was that she seemed to honestly believe in what she was saying. For a mind to be so warped as to truly, in your heart of hearts, believe that serving on a non-profit board with a former 60s radical-turned-engaged citizen equals America hatred is terrifying. This woman represents citizens of this country, and she is utterly insane.

He did best by letting Bachmann talk, letting her spill all her opinions, unassisted.

Later, the Obama spokesperson was shaking her head and Katrina (The Nation, don't know her last name) flat out called it fascist.

Later he had Lynn Sweet and Pat Buchanan discuss what happened.

When she mentoned assocatonss over the years why didn't Matthew's bring up Keating. Liddy, and Palin's association with anti government AIP.

Kristnab is right. Matthews, as usual, substituted a harangue for intelligent questioning. He needed to draw out this frightening woman and make her define her terms. We need to know who she is talking about. Or how her views relate to the guarantees of freedom in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. My friends and I who support Obama are getting very scared. Some twisted soul is going to act on this hatred that is being whipped up by the McCain campaign. Please God, they won't be able to harm Obama, Biden or their families. People who foment hatred for individuals who disagree with them are the real anti-Americans. Save our country from them!

How do people like this get elected to any office, unless it's by people just like them? Are there really that many out there?

Based on that fixed facial expression and phoney smile that accompany everything she says, I'd be willing to bet she is a former beauty pageant contestant. Just like Sara P., she's nothing but a coachable pod person, a Stepford Republican.

Hey, she's got that same idiotic grin plastered on her face as Palin.

Way to go! Please, please keep insulting your fellow Americans -- it's good for the country!

What is up with all this? Why is the GOP trying so hard to lose the election? (Not that I mind.)

This is the first time I have seen this "famous" guy. I don't get MSMBC in the my subscription of first tier satellite. I can't believe how bad this he is. He had an easy quarry he could have unmasked as a brainless shill for what has got to be the lowest point of character assination in McCain's campaign.

Instead, he goads her to repeat again and again the Big Lie, presumably in an effort to kick up sand between the two candidates. Here was an opportunity for him to peel off the superficial layer of talking points and challenge her to document her inflammatory accusations with details of sources and supporting evidence. He blew it because that would have required crack investigation journalism in preparation for this interview. A lost art, it seems.